ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
US-India trade issues
US imposed additional tariff of 25% and 10% on Steel and Aluminium respectively on a global basis. While India’s steel export in the affected lines to US declined by 35% during the FY 2018-19 compared to FY 2017-18, aluminium export in the affected lines have increased by 14% during the same period.
India has been engaged with US on this issue, as part of the ongoing bilateral trade dialogue.
This information was given by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
Meeting of Prime Minister with Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of Russian Federation on the margins of 11th BRICS Summit
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met H.E. Mr Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation on the sidelines of the 11th BRICS summit at Brasilia on 13 November 2019. This is the 4th time the two leaders have met this year.
During the meeting both leaders reviewed the progress made in the bilateral relationship since PM's visit to Vladivostok. PM specifically mentioned the successful visits of our Minister of Defence and Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas to Russia.
The two leaders noted with satisfaction that the USD 25 billion target of bilateral trade by 2025 has already been achieved. The two leaders decided that the 1st Bilateral Regional Forum at the level of Russian Provinces and Indian States be held next year to dismantle the barriers of trade at regional level.
The two leaders noted the stability and progress made in imports of oil and natural gas. President Putin highlighted the potential of Arctic region in natural gas and invited India to invest in the region.
The two leaders also reviewed the progess made in the field of Infrastructure particularly railways in context of raising the speed of the Nagpur-Secunderabad sector railway line. The leaders also noted with satisfaction the cooperation in Defence sector and in the field of Civil Nuclear Energy. They welcomed the prospects of cooperation in civil nuclear energy in third countries.
The two leaders also noted that both sides shared common position on international issues and agreed to continue close consultations in the future.
President Putin reiterated the invitation to PM to visit Moscow to participate in the Victory Day celebrations next year, which PM gladly accepted.
Ministry of Coal
Coal India Ltd offered 160.5 Million Ton till February Under E-auctioning of coal
Coal India Limited  has not stopped conducting of e-auction for any period during this fiscal. During this fiscal  CIL has offered a quantity of 160.5 Million Tonne  under various windows of e-auction, out of which a quantity of 100.1 MT has been allocated.
There is no shortage of coal at power plants and power plants are having coal stock of 26.398 MT as on 08.03.22. Moreover, CIL is having a pit-head stock of around 45 MT along with daily production of 2.5 MT/day. Some Power plants are not able to build sufficient coal stock due to payment issues.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
Joint Naval Exercises
The MALABAR Exercise is being conducted annually since 1992 with the aim and objective to enhance Indian Navy’s interoperability with other participating navies, improve skill-sets and exchange ‘best-practices’ including lessons learnt. Twenty five editions of the exercise have been conducted till date with last edition conducted in two phases in August and October 2021. Such exercises also provide impetus to better maritime security in the region in consonance with the Government’s vision of ‘SAGAR-Security and Growth for all in the Region’. As the exercise was a part of regular Indian Navy deployments, therefore, no additional expenditure was involved. INS Ranvijay, INS Satpura and an Indian Navy submarine alongwith crew members participated in the second phase of MALABAR Exercise.
Details of exercises to be undertaken with Friendly Foreign Countries are finalised in consultation with MEA and other stakeholders. These exercises help in development of interoperability with friendly foreign navies in the areas of core naval operations along with providing insights into best practices, Standard Operating Procedures , concepts and technological innovations used by advanced / contemporary navies. Further, these exercises contribute towards showcasing indigenous ship-building capabilities and strengthening of bilateral relations between the countries.
To boost Naval cooperation with Friendly Foreign Countries, Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks and Executive Steering Group Meetings are conducted on annual/ biennial basis, besides joint exercises and joint patrolling, as also training exchanges, hydrography support and measures to enhance maritime domain awareness.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri ThirunavukkarasarSu in Lok Sabha today.
Nampi/Savvy
(Visitor Counter : 1028
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs 
Cabinet approves establishment of Medical College, Salempur at Deoria, Uttar Pradesh
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of the State Government of Uttar Pradesh for establishment of new medical college at Deoria at a cost of Rs.250 crore under Phase-II of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
Under Phase-II of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing District/Referral hospitals, the criteria for one medical in every three Parliamentary Constituencies and one Government medical college in each State was adopted. Accordingly, a requirement of 24 additional medical colleges including eight medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh has been approved.
Out of the eight identified Blocks in Uttar Pradesh, the Block-6 consists of  Ghosi,  Salempur and  Ballia Parliamentary Constituencies. The State Government of Uttar Pradesh has recommended for establishment of Medical Colleges, Salempur at Deoria by up-gradation of District Hospital, Deoria.
The State Government has informed that Salempur is part of District Deoria and Salempur Parliamentary Constituency is partly covered under District Deoria. The District Hospital, Deoria is also suitable as it has sufficient number of beds and other facilities including availability of land as per MCI norms for the establishment of medical college of all possible locations in the identified Block.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Study on Water Scarcity
Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments. In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, Central Government provides technical and financial assistance to them through various schemes and programmes.
The study "Reassessment of Water Availability in India using Space Inputs" has been carried out by Central Water Commission  in 2019. As per the study, the average annual water resources of the 20 basins of the country has been assessed as 1999.20 Billion Cubic Meters . The average annual water availability of any region or country is largely dependent upon hydro-meteorological and geological factors. However, water availability per person is dependent on population of the country.
Further, the Dynamic Ground Water Resources of the country are being periodically assessed jointly by Central Ground Water Board  and State Governments. As per the 2020 assessment, out of the total 6965 assessment units  in the country, 1114 units in 15 States/UTs have been categorized as 'Over-exploited' where the Annual Ground Water Extraction is more than Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource. 270 units have been categorized as 'Critical', 1057 units as 'Semi-Critical', 4427 units as 'Safe' and 97 units as 'Saline'.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Department of Atomic Energy
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh says, India taking steps for development of Small Modular Reactors , with up to 300 MW capacity to fulfill its commitment to Clean Energy transition
The Minister calls upon the private sector and Start-ups to explore development of this critical technology within India
SMRs offers significant savings in cost and construction time and is a promising technology in industrial de-carbonization, besides being mobile and agile: Dr Jitendra Singh
Union Minister of State  Science & Technology; Minister of State  Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said, India is taking steps for development of Small Modular Reactors , with up to 300 MW capacity to fulfill its commitment to Clean Energy transition.
In his address to a Workshop on Small Modular Reactors  organized by NITI Aayog and Department of Atomic Energy, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the participation of private sector and Start-ups needs to be explored in development of this critical technology within India. He emphasized that technology sharing and availability of funding are the two crucial links for ensuring commercial availability of SMR technology.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the exploration of new clean energy options is in tune with Prime Minister Modi’s roadmap for clean energy transition through bold climate commitments which are reflected in our updated Nationally Determined Contributions .
Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that as we have already taken steps for clean energy transition with penetration of non-fossil based energy resources and achieving net-zero by 2070, nuclear in terms of base load power can play a big role in the de-carbonization strategy. It is in this context that the role of nuclear energy will be critical for clean energy transition of not just India but for the entire world, the Minister added.
Small Modular Reactors , with up to 300 MW capacity by nature are flexible in design and require smaller footprint. Being mobile and agile technology, SMR can be factory-built unlike the conventional nuclear reactors that are built on–site. Thus, SMRs offers significant savings in cost and construction time. SMR is a promising technology in industrial de-carbonization especially where there is a requirement of reliable and continuous supply of power. It is said that SMR is simpler and safer as compared to large nuclear plants.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, an impressive number of measures have been taken to promote renewable energy in the country and India today stands at number four in the RE installed capacity across the world, after China, Europe and United States. He added that these measures also conform to the Prime Minister’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat goal, where India contributes significant value to global value chain.
It must be noted that India, comprising 17% of the world population has seen its primary energy growing at rate of 4% during the last decade, almost double the global growth rate of 1.3%. However, by historical standards, our share in global emissions is less than 5%.
<><><><><>
SNC/RR
(Visitor Counter : 4535
Ministry of Education
NTA constitutes a Fact Finding Committee to visit Kollam
It has been brought to the notice of Ministry of Education through various media reports that an incident allegedly happened in one of the Centre’s of NEET- 2022 near Kollam district in Kerala. NTA has already issued a clarification in this regard.
Further, Shri V. Muraleedharan, MOS, Ministry of External Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs and other public representatives from Kerala have met the Union Education Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today. Dr. R. Bindu, Minister of Higher Education and Social Justice, Government. of Kerala has also written a letter to Union Education Minister.
In view of the above, the Ministry of Education has asked the National Testing Agency to ascertain all the facts about the incident on the spot from stakeholders present at the Centre at that time.
Accordingly, a Fact Finding Committee has been constituted by the NTA to ascertain the facts in detail. Further action will be taken based on the report of the Fact Finding Committee.
President's Secretariat
SCHEDULE OF PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO HYDERABAD
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will arrive in Hyderabad tomorrow at Begumept Airport by 12.05 PM. The President will address the inaugural function of Centenary Celebrations of Osmania University. He will have lunch at Rajbhavan. Later Shri Pranab Mukherjee will also address the first convocation of the English and Foreign Languages University at Gachibowli. After that Shri Pranab Mukherjee will reach Begumpet Airport from there he will depart to Rashtrapati Bhavan by 6.20 PM.
PIB Headquarters
CENTRAL FOOTWEAR TRAINING INSTITUTE
Central Footwear Training Institute , Chennai was established in 1957 and modernized in the year 1993.
Central Footwear Training Institute, , Chennai is an autonomous Organisation under the Ministry of Mirco, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India. This is an ISO 9001:2015 certified Institution.
This Institute is one of the premier Training Institutes in the Footwear sector in India and is functioning with the aim to provide training and related inputs to develop and augment a class of trained personnel in Footwear Technology & Allied Industry in the Country. The Institute also aims at to develop human resources in Footwear and Allied Industry by introduction of Advanced training methods and courses to update knowledge and skills and to promote rapid growth of Footwear and allied Industry in the Country.
CFTI conducts 7 long-term courses and 8 short-term courses .There are two long-term courses for Graduates, two long term courses designed for 12th standard passed students, and two long term courses and two short term courses are available for 10th standard passed students. Four short-term courses are available for even 8th standard passed students.
Campus interviews are conducted and placements are given by the leading footwear manufacturing Industries across India and it is ensured that all eligible candidates are placed. There is a growing demand from the Industries for the CFTI trained students. So far students who have successfully completed the course have been placed in major shoe manufacturers like VKC, Tata International and NIKE shoe manufacturer.
Apart from the above mentioned long-term and short-term courses, CFTI, Chennai in association with the National SC/ST Hub, National Small Industries Corporation is conducting “Condensed Course in Footwear Design & Production”  which is of 6 months duration exclusively for SC/ST Students. The highlight of this particular Skill Development Training is that it is an absolutely free programme with free boarding & lodging facilities. The admission is on first-cum-first served basis and no entrance exams. The last date for submission of the application is 5.11.2018.
Further details can be had from Institute’s website www.cftichenni.in or contact Nos. 09677943633/09677943733.
•••••••••
(
Prime Minister's Office
PM urges youngsters to register for second phase of Yuva Sangam
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has urged the youngsters to register for second phase of Yuva Sangam.
Sharing a tweet by Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the Prime Minister tweeted;
“I have been seeing wonderful pictures and videos of the various #YuvaSangam exchanges held in Phase 1 and they have been excellent ways to deepen the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.' Now, I would urge youngsters to register for the 2nd phase.“
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles deaths in an accident in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh
Announces ex-gratia from PMNRF
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the deaths in an accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. He also wished speedy recovery of the those injured in the accident.
The Prime Minister has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakhs to the next kin of deceased and Rs. 50,000 to those injured in the accident from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund .
The Prime Minister Office tweeted;
"Distressed by the accident in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi"
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Availability of High Yield Improvised Seeds
There is a strong network for making the seeds available to the farmers at district/ taluka levels through 51 State and Central Agricultural and Horticultural Universities and 65 crop based ICAR Institutes and their regional stations, 726 KrishiVigyanKendras, network of 3000 dealers of National Seed Corporation Ltd., 17 State Seed Corporations, 6 Public Sector Undertakings , around 550 private seed companies, FPOs and NGOs. Some of the Institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research have developed online seed portals for making seeds available to farmers. Government has also started seed hubs for quality seed production of pulses, oilseeds and millets.
For apprising the farmers about quality seeds and their easy availability at reasonable cost, the various centrally sponsored schemes of Governmentlike Agricultural Technology Management Agency , National Food Security Mission , RastriyaKrishiVikasYojna , Sub-Mission of Seeds and Planting Material , Seed Hubs  and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture  are implemented by State Governments, KrishiVigyan Kendra’s, ICAR Institutes and Central/State Agricultural Universities. These programmes focus on seed production and distribution, training programmes on varieties and seeds, on-farm demonstrations, field days and KisanMelas.Kisan Channel of Doordarshan is also utilized to create awareness among farmers about new seed varieties and their availability. Technology specific Apps have been developed which are also playing significant role in disseminating the varietal technologies. Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi has launched a weekly “PusaSamachar” in six languages through youtube channel to disseminate agricultural technologies including seeds.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities Iqbal Singh Lalpura calls on Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh; discusses status of security as well as education and employment opportunities for Hindus, including Kashmiri pandits and Sikhs living in Jammu and Kashmir
Centre is committed to provide fool proof security to all the people of J&K and trying hard to promote livelihood opportunities with a special focus on the needs and requirements of minorities living there: Dr Jitendra Singh
Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities Iqbal Singh Lalpura today called on Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and discussed the status of security as well as education and employment opportunities for Hindus, including Kashmiri pandits and Sikhs living in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lalpura apprised Dr Jitendra Singh about some of the initiatives like providing scholarship, training and extending loan facilities at affordable rates and organising Hunar Haat. He said that the Commission will grant more funds for the training of minorities in the UT of J&K.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Centre is committed to provide fool proof security to all the people of Jammu and Kashmir and trying hard to promote livelihood opportunities with a special focus on the needs and requirements of minorities living there. He asked the Commission to direct its focus for the preservation and enrichment of culture and language of the minorities.
Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram  scheme designed to address the development deficits of the identified Minority Concentration Areas, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it will continue to support the States/UTs in creating infrastructure to improve the quality of life of people and reduce the imbalances in the identified minority concentration areas to be at par with the rest of the country. It may be noted that under PMJVK, 80% of the resources are utilized for projects related to education, health and skill development of which at least 33-40% earmarked for creation of assets/facilities for women/girls.
Dr Jitendra Singh noted with satisfaction that under PMJVK, about 20 projects amounting to 320 lakhs have been sanctioned for providing better health, education and other facilities to the people of J&K. He pointed out that under pre-matric and post matric scholarships to the students of Jammu and Kashmir, around Rs 35 Crore has been sanctioned and more funds are in the offing.
<><><><><>
SNC/RR
(Visitor Counter : 1040
PIB Headquarters
THIRD REGIONAL POSTAL PENSION ADALAT ON JANUARY 8
The third Regional Postal Pension Adalat of Telangana Circle for the half- year ending December 31, 2017 will be held on January 8, 2018  at 11.00 A.M. at Committee Hall, 2nd floor, Office of the Chief Postmaster General, Telangana Circle, Dak Sadan, Abids, Hyderabad-500001.
The grievances of Postal Pensioners relating to Pension Gratuity and allied matters may be sent to Shri N. Padmanabharao, Accounts Officer , Office of the Postmaster General, Hyderabad Region, 5th Floor, Dak Sadan, Abids, Hyderabad - 500001 on or before December 15, 2017. Grievances received thereafter will not be entertained, according to a press note issued by Postmaster General, Hyderabad Region, Hyderabad-1.